973.7L53 
B2K542L 


Keifer,  Joseph  Warren. 
"Lincoln  as  I  knew  Him." 


/•  A 


LINCOLN  ROOM 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
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University  of  Illinois  Urbana-Champaign 


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REMARKS 

of 

GENERAL  J.  WARREN   KEIFER 

at  Wittenberg  College  Radio  Broadcasting  Station  (WCSO) 

Springfield,  Ohio,  February  11th,  1927 

at  8:00  P.  M.,  on 

"LINCOLN  AS  I   KNEW  HIM" 

I  am  thankful  for  the  privilege,  for  the  first  time  in 
my  life,  of  addressing  a  radio  audience.  I  cannot  know 
how  many  are  my  hearers  nor  can  I  realize  the  won- 
ders   of    such    inventions. 

We  are  all  delighted  to  honor  the  memory  of  the 
great  American  whose  birthday  is  celebrated  tomorrow. 
Although  he  died  almost  62  years  ago  he  belongs  to 
the  present  era  of  American  history.  His  career  was 
perhaps  the  most  notable  one  in  America  and  his  life 
ended    at   the    age    of    56. 

Lincoln  for  a  number  of  years  before  the  Civil  War 
had  been  a  distinguished  lawyer  and  prominent  public 
man  in  Illinois,  although  probably  not  nationally  known 
until    his    famous    debates    with    Douglas    in    the    campaign 


of    1858,    in    which    he    was    defeated    for    the    Senatorship. 

I  was  admitted  to  the  ^r  January  12,  1858,  by  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Ohio.  Shortly  thereafter  I  made  a 
journey  to  a  number  of  places  before  finally  locating 
for  the  practice  of  the  law.  Chicago  was  one  place  I 
visited,  but  it  was  apparently  without  promise.  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1858,  I  was  in  Springfield,  Illinois,  attending  a 
session  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Illinois.  There  I  saw 
and  heard  an  ungainly  appearing  man  who  was  reported 
to  me  to  be  "Abe  Lincoln."  He  was  arguing  the  ap- 
plication of  a  statute  of  limitations  to  a  defective  tax 
title  to  land.  He  talked  very  much  in  a  conversational 
way  to  the  judges,  and  they  gave  attention,  and  in  a 
Socratic  way  the  discussion  went  on.  I  did  not  see 
anything  to  specially  attract  attention  to  Mr.  Lincoln, 
save  that  he  was  awkward,  ungainly  in  build,  more 
than  plain  in  features,  roughly  clad,  his  clothes  not  fit- 
ting him,  his  trousers  being  several  inches  too  short,  ex- 
posing a  long,  large,  unshapely  foot.  But  he  was  even 
then,  by  those  who  knew  him  best,  regarded  as  intel- 
lectually   and    professionally    a    great    man. 

Shortly    thereafter    I    came    to    hear    and    know    a    great 


deal  about  this  crude  looking  lawyer,  and  in  1860,  al- 
though but  24  years  of  age,  I  took  an  active  part  in 
that  exciting  campaign,  making  many  speeches  in  sup- 
port of  Lincoln  for  the  presidency.  War  then  came 
and  I  served  under  this  great  Commander-in-Chief  from 
the    beginning    of    the    War    until    his    death. 

When  the  final  attack  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
upon  the  Confederate  works  defending  Petersburg  and 
Richmond  was  about  to  begin,  President  Lincoln  visited 
the  Army  at  the  front.  There  I  saw  him  on  March 
25,  1865,  twenty  days  before  his  assassination.  He  was 
at  the  time  on  horseback  with  General  Wright,  my 
Corps  Commander.  I  was  engaged  in  directing  an  at- 
tack upon  a  Confederate  position  under  orders  from 
superior  officers,  and  in  making  the  attack  in  accordance 
with  the  orders  our  forces  were  being  driven  back.  I 
rode  up  to  see  General  Wright  to  protest  against  the 
orders  and  to  get  authority  to  make  the  attack  in  an 
effective  way.  In  my  eagerness  to  take  up  the  matter 
in  hand  with  General  Wright  I  probably  addressed  him 
rather  abruptly.  He  motioned  to  me  somewhat  to  re- 
press   my    eagerness    and    then    introduced    me    to    President 


Lincoln,  who  was  on  horseback  watching  the  result  of 
the  assault  on  the  enemy's  outer  line  of  works.  On 
this  occasion  he  looked  much  the  same  as  on  my  first 
seeing  him,  except  better  dressed.  On  both  occasions  he 
appeared  to  be  a  sad  man,  thoughtful  and  serious.  I 
did  not  tarry  long  at  the  interview,  for  General  Wright 
ordered  me  to  proceed  as  I  suggested,  and  I  was  in 
haste  to  join  the  forces  then  engaged.  I  am  proud  to 
say  that  our  movement  then  under  the  eye  of  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  was  successful.  The  surrender 
of    Lee    occurred    15    days    later. 

Lincoln  lived  to  see  slavery  actually  destroyed,  not 
only  by  his  Emancipation  Proclamation  of  1863,  but  by 
the  effectual  destruction  of  the  Confederate  forces,  and 
the    Union    of    the    States    was    preserved. 

Less  than  ten  years  before  his  death  Lincoln  had 
written  "Our  political  problem  now  is,  'Can  we  as  a  na- 
tion continue  together  permanently  —  forever  —  half  slave, 
and  half  free'?  The  problem  is  too  mighty  for  me. 
May    God    in    His    mercy    superintend    the    solution." 

Under  God,  within  ten  years  after  this  was  written, 
Lincoln  was  the  instrument  for  the  solution  of  the 
mighty    problem. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 


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